Do watersheds affect drinking water quantity and quality?
Most definitely. A watershed area is a unique and dynamic place and the conditions of a watershed, especially those areas nearest water, greatly affects the water quality. The best quality drinking water supplies from surface water sources usually come from relatively undisturbed watersheds or those managed to reduce pollution. Watersheds help maintain water supplies for drinking and other uses by retaining water from rainfall and snow melt and slowly providing it for stream flow, reservoirs and ground water recharge, thus conserving and preserving the volume of fresh water resources on the landscape.
